Graphene Materials

(MIT Graphene Roll, MIT)

A material supreme: How graphene will shape the world of tomorrow - MIT researchers find that graphene can function as a superconductor.

What are Graphene and Graphite?

Grapene:

[Graphene Flagship]: Graphene - a single layer of carbon atoms - may be the most amazing and versatile substance available to mankind. In simple terms, graphene is a two-dimensional atomic crystal made up of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. Due to its unique combination of superior properties, graphene is a credible starting point for new disruptive technologies across a wide range of fields.

Graphene is the thinnest compound known to man at one atom thick (a million times thinner than a human hair), the strongest compound discovered (between 100-300 times stronger than steel), the lightest material known (with one square meter weighing approximately 0,77 milligrams), and extremely flexible.

It is also impermeable to molecules, and is highly electrically and thermally conductive – graphene enables electrons to flow much faster than silicon. It is also a transparent conductor, combining electrical and optical functionalities in an exceptional way.

Graphene can be thought of as a giant molecule that is available for chemical modification, with potential for a wide variety of applications, ranging from electronics to composite materials.

It is also relatively cheap to produce in comparison with other materials.

Graphite:

Graphite is a naturally-occurring form of crystalline carbon. It is a native element mineral found in metamorphic and igneous rocks. Graphite is a mineral of extremes. It is extremely soft, cleaves with very light pressure, and has a very low specific gravity. In contrast, it is extremely resistant to heat and nearly inert in contact with almost any other material. These extreme properties give it a wide range of uses in metallurgy and manufacturing.

In 2013, the European Union made a €1 billion grant to be used for research into potential graphene applications. In 2013 the Graphene Flagship consortium formed, including Chalmers University of Technology and seven other European universities and research centers, along with Nokia.

Biomedicine:

[AZO Nano]: "Graphene is a material formed from carbon in a honeycomb structure with one-atom thickness. It provides distinctive optical, thermal, electronic and mechanical properties. The material can be manufactured into sheets, flakes and graphene oxide to provide a variety of applications to the field of biomedicine.

Current research is developing practical applications of graphene for use in drug delivery, as a material for building biosensors, as a potential antibacterial agent and as a scaffold for tissue engineering."